Here’s Where Travelers are Heading This Holiday Season

For me, travel is about meeting people, being a lifelong learner and seeing the world through different perspectives.

Few traditions are as cherished and timeless as the annual performance of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet, which will be performing through December 31, 2023. This beloved production has become an integral part of the holiday festivities, attracting over 100,000 spectators annually.

I used to really like air travel—largely because of a Disney movie from the late seventies called The Rescuers. The leads are mice: a chic one, voiced by Eva Gabor; and a frumpy one, voiced by Bob Newhart. They’re on assignment to save an orphan girl who was abducted for the purpose of retrieving a diamond from the Louisiana bayou—but first they have to get there from New York City, which involves riding in a sardine tin strapped to an albatross. When the bird wings off the roof of a skyscraper at sunset, poor Bob is practically peeing himself. But not Eva. “Oooo! I just luv takeoffs!” she says. “It’s just like being on a rollerscoater.”

 Broadly speaking, the concept of experiential travel refers to immersive experiences — the kind that aims to forge a deeper connection with a destination than can usually be had from traditional leisure holidays. These often involve an element of adventure, whether physical, cultural or spiritual. According to trend-spotting agency Mabrian, these kinds of trips are now almost as high on the average traveller’s wish list as more conventional holidays — defined as involving activities such as sunbathing, family gatherings or shopping.

Finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list is no easy feat. Maybe you're shopping for the friend who has everything already or someone you don't know that well—you're stumped on what to buy, but still want their gift to be thoughtful and practical. Or, maybe you've accidentally waited too long to finish up your holiday shopping and need a gift with zero shipping time required. In any case, a gift card is a great idea for travelers. We put together a list of the very best gift cards for travelers, with options for book worms, outdoor enthusiasts, and beauty gurus included. From suitcases to skincare to entire vacation rentals, you can put your gift to good use and rest easy knowing your giftee got exactly what they wanted: something they picked out themselves. Plus, some have physical card options, if sending an email isn't the glamorous gift-giving experience you imagined.

With more than 115 million Americans expected to travel over the next few weeks, according to AAA, this holiday season is gearing up to be one of the busiest ones ever.

Finding the best walking shoes for travel can be tough. You want something comfortable enough to get you through a full day of wandering around, but not so comfortable that it screams “I'm a tourist!” And since nobody wants to tote around a bag (checked or otherwise) filled with shoes, the ones that do make the packing list cut need to be versatile enough to wear with multiple outfits.

It’s shaping up to be an extremely busy winter holiday season, but semi-private air company JSX has travelers covered with hassle-free — and luxe — flights starting at just $300 one-way.

New York City is practically synonymous with New Year’s Eve. The entire world watches and waits for the ball to drop in Times Square, while revelers at the crossroads of the world and across the boroughs celebrate the upcoming New Year. Plenty of restaurants far away from the chaos are also hosting celebrations for festive meals, toasts and a fun ambiance to ring in the 2024. Here’s where to celebrate:

Chase Travel has at least one asset that CapitalOne doesn’t have — Chase owns its own technology while CapitalOne relies to some extent on Hopper.

Americans shattered travel records this Thanksgiving, and it appears that the Christmas and New Year's Day holiday period will be similarly busy.

Emigrating from your home country to a new one can be a pretty big gamble. There are a host of questions that run through your head when buying that one-way ticket. Will you love your new home just the same as the old one? How will your habits change? Will you make any friends? I should know. I did it myself in 2021, emigrating from the United States to Portugal to finish my Ph.D. While life in Lisbon has been nothing short of spectacular thus far, there are other destinations around the world where my fellow expats are apparently even happier.